Marie recently visited the H.C. Andersen Children's Hospital in Odense. (*)
Here she was recieved by a flowergirl in the shape of Maja Augustinus Uhrenholdt, aged eleven. Maja is suffering from a rare lung disorder and she has so far spend about half her life in hospital.
During the visit Marie was told about the hospital and the research co-operation between the hospital and Southern Jutland University, for which Marie is also patron.
One of the projects involves following 3.000 children from birth until they turn eighteen. The purpose is the map their general health, individually as well as a segment of the population. But also to learn whether their lifestyle has an effect on their health in the long run.

On the way to the cancer ward which she was to visit next, Marie took her time to say hello to all children on the way, and it was here she noticed sitting on a bench a bit to the side, a mother with a girl on her lap. The girl was somewhat unsettled by the commotion, so Marie sat down next to them, and chatted with the child while caressing her knee. And after a little while it wasn't so bad with all those people around. - Perhaps also helped by the photographers respectfully not thrusting their lenses op the nose of the child, but maintaining a distance.

Later on Marie visited a workshop ReMiDa. Here children have access to all sorts of discarded material which they can convert in whatever way their creativity leads them. In the words of a three year old: "That thing deserves to become another thing". And the children had made hats from table napkins and one was presented to Marie as a gift, which she put on her head straight away. As you may be able to tell from the photos the napkin-hat was adorned with bottons, pearls and pompoms. The children had also made genuine princess shoes for Marie, complete with pearls and glitter.
Then the hospital clowns, Liva and Pablo entertained, before it was time for six year old Laura Rygaard to take over.

Laura Rygaard, being in the princess-age, was dressed accordingly in a frilly skirt and slilver shoes. Alas she also has a tumor on her spine.
Laura told Marie about a computer game for the children at the hospital, which Laura herself has helped create. The game is basically a run down of what is going to happen when a child go to a hospital and it's developed as a way to explain the children what is going to happen so that they won't be so scared.
There is a very charming pic in the article of Laura whispering something to Marie, while they sit in front of a laptop. It looks like instructions... (**)
Marie said afterwards: "It's utterly fantastic, because it's made and explained in a way that is not at all frightning".

In one of the corridors Marie met a familiar and dear face in the shape of the nurse Merete Matz, who for a number of years was nanny for Nikolai and Felix and who has also helped out at Schackenborg from time to time. They greeted each other heartily.

Our reporter observes that our Marie seemed much more confident, empatic and relaxed this time than usual. - Suggesting that she has now genuinely settled in as Princess and also that this is a topic that is close to Marie's heart.

(*) I'm pleased to see that Marie in particular perhaps is not only covering Southern Jutland very much, but also Funen. That island has a tendency I think to be overlooked, squeased in as it is between Jutland and Zealand.

(**) All of us who are parents or are used to dealing with children know that in the eyes of children, we adults, when it comes to computers, really are a bit slow. You sometimes have to be a little patient with the adults...

On a day when the wind was slightly fresh our Marie went to the city of Esbjerg on the west coast to open a new gymnasium (high school). It's actually an amalgamation of several school and there are now 1.300 pupils attending there.
The red carpet was laid out, but wouldn't lay still. What to do? And in the practical manner of the west coast they simply placed cobbled stones, now that carpent ain't gonna go anywhere! - Something almost unthinkable in the rest of the country.

There she come, Marie, looking chic as always. Closely accompanied by towering figure of the Minister for Education, Christine Antorini. You can't miss her, she's the women ruining the pictures with Marie... And she's Radical... (**)

Marie handled the task with the self confidence that comes with practise. The article points out that her ever increasing number of jobs is rubbing off and she has become a pretty seasoned royal now.

It's also a confirmation of the division of work within the DRF, where Joachim and Marie to a high extent cover Southern Jutland and Funen.

(*) Well, if you ask the locals along the west coast of Jutland, it was just a bit breezy.
Windy is what the rest of the country would call a bad storm. And a storm at the west coast is defined by dogs, trees and roofs flying around.

(**) As you can perhaps guess my admiration for the Radicals is limited. They may not have been (directly) responsible for the earthquake that levelled San Fransisco in 1906, but I'm perfectly willing to blame them for all other calamities since then...

Summary of article in Billed Bladet #40, 2013.
Marie fik et godt grin - Mary had a good laugh.
Written by Trine Larsen.

Our Marie had just presented an award for 200.000 DKK in connection with Innovation Storm at Moltkes Palæ, when the whole thing was interrupted by two mega rich, totally selfish and very out of touch gentlemen, Poul and Fritz - in the shape of the comedians Rasmus Botoft and Martin Buch.

They talked about current things in general and offered their solution to how DK could recover from the financial crisis: "We must sack everybody and employ au-pairs. Not only are they pretty, they also work 100 hours a week for 3.300 DKK a month...without pension and holidays. That'll put the country back on its feet again".
Everybody present, including Marie, was cracking up. - I'm pretty impressed with Marie actually, if she understands this rather quirky humour and fairly quick delivery, her understanding of Danish must be extremely good already. Not least considering that they talk "posh".
I saw a picture of her in the article. She was focused and it's a genuine laugh, not a polite chuckle.

Anyway, they are also among my favorites and here is a clip with with Poul and Fritz. You'll not understand much, but it will give you an idea of their style.

Here she met 250 from an organisation of some 400 women, who are voulnteers. They have since 2008 been actively seeking and help to integrate immigrant women into the society. As well as acting as a basic network and offering councelling and assistance to these women.
Most of the volunteers are immigrants themselves.

One of the major problems with immigrant women, especially from certain countries, is that they are often isolated when they come to DK. They have no network, no family, no friends and they associate no one but their husbands and children. As such they are isolated from the country they live in. In some cases that isolation is reinforced by their own husbands.

Not knowing the language, rarely having a job and in many cases with a rudimentary in any schooling, they are not aware of their rights, they are only vaquely aware of any opportunities they may have and they are most hestitant about contacting the public services in their local municipality.

This is where the volunteers come in.

A little curiosum: The court had briefed the photographers from the press about their rules of engagement so to speak. But not the volunteers who picked up their mobiles and snapped away.

Summary of article in Billed Bladet #42, 2013.
Written by Henrik Salling.

Recently Marie went to Hellerup School to open a new Internet portal for teachers and pupils called EMU.dk. - The red cord has this time been replaced with a mouse and with a simple click our Marie started the whole thing.
Marie got a very enthusiastic reception by the pupils! Leaning out of a window a number of girls (12-14 y. olds) waved a homemade sign reading: "Marie - we love you. You are fantastic". And later on Marie was surrounded by younger pupils (looks like third graders to me) who wanted to exchange high fives. - In the end Marie's LiW, Britt Siesbye, had to come to the rescue and pull Marie away from the children.

Marie also had time for a chat with our reporter. (Whom she litterally has known from the very first times she put a foot in DK after meeting Joachim. He used to cover Marie very favourably indeed - and still do...).
Here she said about bette Henrik: "He can read. - It's the father who each evening teach him to read". Unfortunately she doesn't go into further details.

And, she is the ONLY member of the Royal family who is not paid........................

What do you mean by that?
AFAIK Marie is entitled to a percentage (10% ?) of Joachim's annual allowance (just like Mary is included into Frederik's annual allowance). That's why Joachim receives a higher allowance since 2008/his marriage with Marie.